The tourism industry in ASEAN is falling in love with India's rapidly expanding urban middle class; that's the view of Dr Sanjay Nadkarni, Associate Professor at the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management in Dubai.

In a presentation titled ‘Growth Drivers and Challenges for India Outbound Tourism to ASEAN' he told tourism industry leaders and students at Bangkok's College of Innovation at Thammasat University that ‘if ASEAN's tourism destinations wanted to benefit from the Indian growth story they needed to create new offerings, sell them convincingly to the Indian travel agents and adapt to Indian needs'.

"Many Indian travellers to ASEAN destinations are first-timers. They are very dependent on travel agent advice. "When Indian travel agents say, 'I've been there,' it reassures the Indian traveller," he said. Dr Nadkarni told the audience that there was huge new potential to be tapped in India's second tier cities such as Hyderabad (which hosted PTM 2008), Trivendrum, Ahmedabad and Amritsar. Cities with an affluent IT sector, such as Bangalore and Hyderabad, also have major potential for ASEAN destinations. Dr Nadkarni noted that the number of Indian tourists taking more than one leisure trip a year was increasing at 16 percent annually, with the number of Indians taking three or more leisure trips increasing at a rate of about 200 percent.

Dr Nadkarni, (pictured above left with Khiri Asia CEO Ashok Kapur) warned that the availability of an Indian chef can be a deciding factor when Indians book a group or MICE holiday. Many Indians are vegetarian for religious or health reasons. ASEAN destinations need to be aware that a group from north India will expect a different kind of Indian cuisine that a group from south India.

The elusive single ASEAN visa for Indian tourists would drive growth and encourage more multi-destination holidays in ASEAN, but is unlikely in the near future, according to Professor Walter Jamieson, Director - Service Innovation Programme at the College of Innovation. "However, we are seeing steps towards joint visas for twin destinations that Indians often visit in tandem, such as Singapore and Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia," he said.

"We try our level best with travel agents to sell more than Bangkok and Pattaya," said Ashok Kapur, CEO of Bangkok- based Khiri Asia, which specialises in promoting holidays to Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam to Indian travel agencies. "We're trying to promote Chiang Mai and Cambodia, which has great hotels, entertainment and deep Indian cultural roots. It's quite difficult. Over 90 percent just want Bangkok plus Pattaya or Phuket."

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